As Winnipeggers, we generally don’t have a problem calling ourselves “cheap.” Do we mean to say “thrifty” or “frugal?” Or are we cheap?
Jonathan Ball, an English professor at the University of Winnipeg, says people who are cheap and those who are thrifty have the same behaviours but different attitudes and motivations.
The dictionary tells us cheap means we are “reluctant to spend” and “not generous.”
Winnipeggers sure weren’t reluctant to spend when the Jets came back. Season tickets sold for $11,600 a pair at the top end, and they went faster than you can spell Byfuglien.
And did you know Winnipeggers spend more furnishing their homes than citizens in any other major city in Canada?
But we have the third-lowest rate of home ownership in the country, and Statistics Canada has found Winnipeggers spend more on gambling than on reading material.
How much can Winnipeggers afford to spend when, of 12 major cities, Winnipeggers rank 11th in average income? We’re dwarfed even by our neighbours in Regina, who make about 24 per cent more than we do.
As for Winnipeggers “not being generous” – that part of the definition does not appear to fit. As a percentage of annual spending, Winnipeggers give the most to charity. More than people who live in Toronto, Calgary, even Regina. That doesn’t sound cheap.
Over the next couple of weeks, the Morning News is going to look at how we spend our money and what things we do splurge on. We’ll see how we save and how we give. And then you can decide…
Are we cheap?
Are We Cheap? Amie Green
Are We Cheap? Price check: concerts
Are We Cheap? Kevin Donnelly
Are We Cheap? What we spend our money on
Are We Cheap? Price check: transit
Are We Cheap? Price check: taxis
Are We Cheap? Pat Marshall
Are We Cheap? Jeremy Bradley
Are We Cheap? Or thrifty?
Are We Cheap?
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